The Influences That Elected Kerr

The men who organized Mr. Kerr's 'orees, vitalized liis canvass, and finally swept the field cloar for him, were Eras;us Wells, Williain K. Morrison, and Tohn B. Clark, Jr. The real work of ihc canvass did not bogin till Tuesday ïight. When Mr. Wells arrived here he 'ound the situation conf usod and demoralizcd. Morrison had been ere a day 01 two, and Clark had preceded him about twenty-foiir hours, but no organization of tlie Kerr forces had beeu efeeted, and nobody knew " who was vho, or what was what." In order to ully nnderstand tho signiflcanee of Mr. Weils' work, it is necessary to compreïend his peculiar influence. Although not an orator, and but seldom heard pon the Hoor of the House, except lirough the measures he introduces, Mr. , Wolls is not now, and has uot beon for ! several years, surpassed in personal influence by any mcmbcr on the Demi ocratic sidc of the House. In former Congresses, when he belonged to the ; niinority, Mr. Wells was colebrated for i the influence ho enjoyed with the lle[ publican mombors, and it used to be ., said of him whon Missouri had tln-ee or i four Bopublicans in Congress, it was i notorious tliat, even at the White House, his power was groater than all of them eombined. All this peculiar strength, together with his great power of persuasión and organization, Mr. Wells tbrew aetively into the canvas for Kerr as soon as he arrived here. He was ably and determinedly seconded by Morrison and Clark, and it was the influence of these men, as I said, and the vote of the delegations which followed their lead, that